It’s nontoxic, versatile and effective, not to mention incredibly affordable. Can you guess which everyday item you should be putting in your dishwasher?
You Should Always Add This One Pantry Staple to Your Dishwasher
Updated on Oct. 15, 2024
A dishwasher is a godsend in a modern kitchen. After spending nearly a decade in a cozy (read: dishwasher-free) New York City apartment kitchen, I’m thrilled to be using one again. It’s not only a win for time management but also better for the environment since dishwashers typically use less water than hand-washing. But as wonderful as they are, dishwashers can still cause problems, from cloudy streaks on glassware to gunk that doesn’t come off—which might necessitate a follow-up hand-washing, polishing or even scrubbing. It kind of defeats the purpose of having a dishwasher in the first place!
Enter the secret weapon you likely already have in your pantry: vinegar. Vinegar has many surprising household uses, both in and out of the kitchen, and I’d heard that putting vinegar in the dishwasher could help. So would it take the place of a more expensive rinse aid? And would it really work?
I reached out to natural-cleaning expert Becky Rapinchuck to find out—and gave it a shot myself. Read on to learn if you should be putting vinegar in your dishwasher every time you run a load.
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Why should you add vinegar to your dishwasher?
Putting vinegar in the dishwasher can make glassware, casserole dishes, pots, pans and everything else come out cleaner, shinier and sparklier. And it’s especially helpful if you have hard water—the high mineral content is what makes those clouds and spots appear over time.
The other benefit is that it’s super gentle yet super strong. You can use it to tackle everything from challenging carpet stains and stinky clothes to clogged drain lines and greasy items. “When adding vinegar to the dishwasher, it gets diluted with water, so it won’t harm your silverware or other dishes,” says Rapinchuk. “But it is an acid, which effectively breaks down mineral deposits like calcium, limescale and hard-water spots.”
If you choose vinegar to help you with these issues, you’ll use it in place of your store-bought rinse aid. The store-bought variety specifically helps the appliance dry the dishes faster, leading to fewer water spots. While vinegar won’t speed things up in that way, both options should leave you with a similar result.
How do you add vinegar to your dishwasher?
If you’re not sure where to pour vinegar in your dishwasher, the answer is easy: It goes in the rinse-aid compartment. See below for the exact steps.
- Load the dishwasher completely, as normal.
- Fill the rinse-aid compartment with white vinegar instead of your regular rinse aid. A typical machine will hold 4 to 5 ounces. Using this compartment allows for the vinegar to be released at the appropriate time in the dishwashing cycle.
- Add your regular detergent to the machine’s dispenser, and run the cycle as usual.
Yep, that’s it!
Does this dishwasher hack actually work?
I tried using vinegar as a rinse aid for myself in order to report back on the results. I can’t say I saw a noticeable difference in my glassware after the first wash, but I also didn’t notice any additional rogue water spots. If you don’t have your typical rinse aid on hand, I’d say vinegar is an easy fill-in in a pinch.
Rapinchuk agrees. “I like this hack because it is a simple, economical and effective solution for hard-water spots and mineral deposits,” she says. “[Plus], vinegar works great for general cleaning for the same reason—it’s a versatile and economical ingredient that can be used all over the house, except on stone surfaces.”
How often can you put vinegar in your dishwasher?
Rapinchuk recommends putting vinegar in your dishwasher’s rinse-aid compartment once a month to refresh your dishwasher-safe glassware, dishes, pots and pans. The rinse-aid compartment has a controlled release, so it typically uses up the 4 to 5 ounces of liquid in the reservoir in a month’s time. In other words, you’ll add the vinegar monthly, but your dishwasher will use it each time you run a load.
Are there other benefits to putting vinegar in your dishwasher?
You can use also vinegar to clean your dishwasher once a month, but you’ll need to follow a different process to get these cleaning benefits.
- Add 1 cup of white vinegar to a shallow, dishwasher-safe bowl.
- In an empty dishwasher, situate the bowl on the top rack and run a cycle. Similar to how heating a bowl of vinegar in the microwave can help release stuck-on grime, putting vinegar in the dishwasher can help release food debris that may get caught in the machine’s filter or along the edges where the door seals shut. It also freshens up your appliance overall.
- When the cycle finishes, open the machine and use a damp cloth to wipe these sections of the dishwasher and remove any unwanted residue or smell.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. For this piece on putting vinegar in your dishwasher, Stephanie Sisco tapped her longtime experience as a journalist who covers home topics including cleaning. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Source:
- Becky Rapinchuk, founder of Clean Mama and author of Clean Mama’s Guide to a Healthy Home and Clean Mama’s Guide to a Peaceful Home
